People of Medieval Scotland1093 - 1371

Document 2/143/127 (Arb. Lib., no. 238A)

Description

Pope Innocent IV writes to the chancellor of Moray, the treasurer, and Master John of Everley, canon of Dunkeld, regarding a petition from the abbots of Kelso, Arbroath and Lindores, and the prior of St Andrews, which stated that the bishops of Aberdeen, of good memory, with the consent of their chapters, had granted to them for their own uses certain churches in the diocese of Aberdeen, in which their abbots, prior, and convents have the right of patronage, which had been confirmed by the apostolic see. The current bishop of Aberdeen had prevented the vicars of certain churches in the diocese of Aberdeen from paying their customary dues to the said monasteries, beyond the old pensions from those churches. The pope, therefore, instructs the chancellor, treasurer and canon to investigate the relevant documentary evidence on the matter and if they find that the said churches were not pensionary, but had been made over to the abbots, prior and convents for their own uses, they are to revoke the bishop’s inhibition. They are also to prevent the abbots, prior and convents from being molested, by restraining those molesters by ecclesiastical censure. If all of them cannot take part in carrying this out, let two of them do it.